According to Stony Mountain resident, Tony Hoess–– the sky is the limit for him and his bike. For three decades he’s had his eyes set on biking across Canada, and this July he is half way to achieving his goal.
Stony Mountain’s Tony Hoess biked from British Columbia to Manitoba this July
“I’ve always said when I turned 60, I am going to bike across Canada. I have always been a biker and this is strictly something I’ve always wanted to do for fun. I’ve admired other bikers who have taken on the challenge and I thought it would be great to explore the country on my bike,” said Hoess.
He and his long-time cycling friend, Dwight, flew to Vancouver on June 27 with their bikes in a box. Once they arrived, they assembled their Devinci Hatchet road bikes in the airport and set out on the first 90-kilometre leg of their journey. In total, they biked 2400-kilometres in 24 days, arriving at the Longitudinal Centre of Canada just east of Winnipeg on July 20.
They carried all of their gear on their bikes such as their clothes, food, water and camping supplies. “Everything has got to be multi-purpose,” he said. “If it’s only got one job, you had to get rid of it because you don’t want to be hauling around that extra weight. I didn’t even buy any souvenirs because it would have been too heavy.”
They tried to stay in campgrounds most nights, but opted for a hotel room when there was a possibility of rain or when they needed to do laundry. Hoess explained they didn’t have a specific route they followed, often travelling east and stopping in towns others recommended. The most challenging part of their adventure was tackling the mountains.
“The steep hills are hard enough for us Manitobans who are used to biking on relatively flat terrain–– but when you add on all your gear it makes it even more of a challenge.”
Hoess described it like biking with a 40 lb toddler. With the wind, heat, and rain he said he never quite knew how far they were going to travel each day, trying to beat the heat by being on the road by 5:30 a.m. daily.
They only had one rest day which was spent in Herbert, Sask. due to the rain. “We never knew what we were set out for each day. Was it going to rain? How strong was the wind? Where could we spend the night? Were we going to have enough power so our phones wouldn’t die? These were all conditions we had to be mindful of. Especially the power because we didn’t want to be put in a position where our batteries were dead.”
For food, he wasn’t too mindful about what he was eating. He said he would eat anything and everything because he was constantly hungry and needed to replenish all the calories he burnt. “I ate like an unsupervised raccoon in an all you can eat buffet.”
He enjoyed eating at local restaurants and finding hidden gems in the towns he visited, but also didn’t stray away from convenience stores. His only rule was he wanted to find some place local to eat, not a chain restaurant he could easily find in Manitoba. Because of the risk of bears finding their campsite, they couldn’t have extra food lying around, so picking up food on their route was the easiest option. Plus, he got to meet and talk to more people this way.
“It’s the places you go, the people you meet and the sights you see that make this all worth it. When you’re on a bike, you are going to take the time and stop at everything. Cars probably won’t stop every 40-kilometres for a break, but we will. Because of our bikes, we got to see so many more things than we would have if we were driving. I think of all the things I have ever done in my lifetime–– this is one of the best things. I recommend anyone thinking about taking this leap to get on your bike, see the world, and leave your worries behind.”
Hoess already plans on biking the rest of Canada in 2026 and will keep up his training by keeping in shape and biking daily. He reminds aspiring bikers this is not a race. “If you want to take an hour break, take this break. Do you want to explore the town you found? Explore it. I hope you take a little longer than we did because I wish we took some extra days to enjoy sightseeing because those moments all add to the scrapbook of memories you will create.”
